Eleanor House

c1920s

The large hall at Eleanor House was decorated with a frieze of poppies painted by the Kyrle Society.  The Society was founded in 1876 by Miranda and Octavia Hill to better the life of working people by laying out parks, encouraging house decoration, window gardening and flower growing.  It was one of the first civic amenity bodies and a progenitor of the National Trust.  The Society provided art, books and open spaces to the working class poor, around the slogan "Bring Beauty Home to the Poor".  This involved, at first, artistic decoration of hospitals, schools and working-class clubs.  It was named after philanthropist John Kyrle (1637–1724).  There were numerous branches around the country, generally formed from around 1877 onwards, and one branch was supported by William Morris.